Apparatus for casting of sections with parallel members and transverse connections



RALLEL MEMBERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept- 19, 1967 H. s. NAGIN ETAL APPARATUS FOR CASTING OF SECTIONS WITH PA I AND TRANSVERSE CONNECTIONS Filed June 5, 1965 HARRY 5. NAGN. WILUAM H.PARMELEE. M M 1% 0 7 .Bi 3 0 r IF V mm 11/. I r E C 111111 11 2 v I, O C C m 4 4/.

Sept. 19, 1967 H. s. NAGIN ETAL 3,342,251

, APPARATUS FOR CASTING OF SECTIONS WITH PARALLEL MEMBERS AND TRANSVERSE CONNECTIONS Filed June 5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 23 INVENTOR. HARRY s. mam.

M Z M rm ATTORNEYS.

WILUAM H-PARMELEE.

Sept. 19, 1967 H. s. NAGIN ,ETAL 3,34 5

APPARATUS FOR CASTING OF SECTIONS WITH PARALLEL MEMBERS AND TRANSVERSE CONNECTIONS Filed June 5, 1965 5 Sheets-$heet 5 F 9; INVENTOR HARRY smmm.

WILLYAM H.PARMELEE.

ATTORNEYS Sept. 19, 1967 3,342,251 BMBERS H. S. NAGIN ETAL APPARATUS FOR CAS TING OF SECTIONS WITH PARALLEL M AND TRANSVERSE CONNECTIONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 5, 1965 pal/4'47 Rmu 06M TAR NA E W RM W w HS 7 1 1 r BY ATTOR N EYS.

p 19, 1967 H. s. NAGIN ETAL ,3

APPARATUS FOR CASTING 0F SECTIONS WITH PARALLEL-MEMBERS AND TRANSVERSE CONNECTIONS Filed June 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HARRY 5. NAGIN. WILHAM H.PARMELEE.

7 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Ofifice 3,342,251 Patented Sept. 19, 1967 3,342,251 APPARATUS FOR CASTING F SECTIONS WITH PARALLEL MEMBERS AND TRANS- VERSE CONNECTIONS Harry S. Nagin, Bala Cynwyd, and William H. Parmelee, Bethel Park, Pa., assignors to Reliance Steel Products Company, McKeesport, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 3, 1965, Ser. No. 460,984 7 Claims. (Cl. 164-279) This invention relates to the casting of metal into predetermined shapes in the nature of structural shapes, gratings, and checker plates, and is for a method of and apparatus for making such shapes. The invention constitutes an improvement over the invention disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 428,501, filed Jan. 29, 1965, and this application is in elfect a continuation-inpart of said application.

In our application above referred to, we have disclosed an apparatus for the manufacture of grating and other shapes having longitudinal bars with cross-bars or ribbed plates, wherein there is a traveling mold made up of a series of sections. The mold sections have registering grooves therein extending in the direction of travel of the mold sections. At intervals there are cross grooves intersecting two or more of the longitudinal grooves. Casting material, such as molten metal, is filled into these grooves where it solidifies, and after solidification the mold sections are moved away from the casting. The mold sections move in an endless path so that the casting may be formed continuously.

The traveling molds may be upright where the metal is poured into them, or the casting strand may be inverted as more fully explained in said application. The present invention contemplates the use of two such endless series of mold sections, with an upper one having a horizontal lower strand that faces downwardly and cooperates with the top strand of a lower endless mold, and the metal is cast between the confronting strands.

With this arrangement we are enabled to cast sections having a flanged web, such as an I-beam, a channel, a truss girder, a deep grating, checker plates and other shapes, as well as any of the shapes which can be made in the apparatus shown in our application above referred to. Structural sections may be directly cast from molten metal either in finished form or in a form to be subsequently rolled down to finished shape, giving the metal an improved grain structure, avoiding the need for casting first an ingot, then a bloom, and then shaping it by rolling. A primary object of our invention is to provide an improved apparatus for continuously casting various shapes or intricate multiple structures.

A further object is to provide a method of initially casting metal in a desired shape and then reducing or changing it into another shape by rolling to eliminate the intervening steps of forming an ingot and then a bloom and ultimately the rolled shape.

These and other objects and advantages are secured by our invention by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of an apparatus embodying our invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan View of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the top strand of the upper mold series broken away;

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical section on a larger scale in the plane of line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a similar view in the plane of line IVIV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of the front end of the apparatus in side elevation;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section in the plane of line VI-VI of FIG 4;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section in the plane of line VIIVII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an end view of the portion of the upper and lower cooperating molds removed from the machine, the View being essentially an end view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing mold sections for forming an I-beam section;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 showing mold sections for forming a channel section;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 9 showing mold sections for forming an I-beam section with an open Web structure;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of three mold sections used in FIG. 11, showing the mold cavity contours;

FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view through the ap paratus near the discharge end showing one form of mechanism for positively separating the upper and lower mold elements after they have left the water-cooled area of the machine, and after they approach the discharge end;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary longitudinal section in substantially the plane of line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a schematic side elevation of a series of mold elements with the guide rails and linkages omitted, showing the inclusion of one or more blank sections to effect the termination of one casting and the beginning of another;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of FIG. 15; and

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the front end of the machine showing means for applying an abrasive and adhesive mix to certain mold surfaces.

Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates a supporting frame providing a support for an endless upper mold comprised of a series of connected sections or mold elements 3 and a generally similar endless lower mold comprised of a series of connected sections or mold elements 4. The lower strand of the upper mold and the upper strand of the lower mold are in confronting contacting relation. The confronting faces of some molds provide between them a mold cavity, as hereinafter more fully explained. We have shown the supporting structure so arranged that the left end of the confronting strands, which. may be termed the front or entering end, is higher than the right or discharge end of the apparatus, so that these confronting strands have a gradual downward slope to the rear.

The mold sections 3 and 4 are preferably elongated in a direction crosswise of their direction of travel, and as shown in the drawings (see FIG. 7), they are connected to each other by links 7 at their ends. These links are slotted at each end, and pins 8 pass through each slot into the mold section to allow a pivoting and limited movement of each mold element perpendicular to the plane in which they travel or section relative to the adjacent ones, as more fully described in our copending application. Where the mold sections contact one another, the abutting side face portions of the mold elements of each series are smooth and machine-finished to fit tightly against each other.

Provision is made for' moving both endless molds in unison, either continuously or in regular increments. One way of moving the molds is shown in the drawings where the mold elements of each series are provided with gear teeth 9 on the surfaces thereof opposite those which come into confronting relation with the mold elements of the other series, these teeth forming continuous racks. A shaft 10 with pinions 11 thereon is positioned near and under the forward end of the stop strand of the lower mold with the pinions 11 engaging the rack teeth of the mold sections. A similar shaft 12 with pinions 13 is correspondingly located over the forward end of the lower strand of the top continuous sectional mold. Shaft is driven through a sprocket wheel 14 and chain 15 from the sprocket of a driving motor, not shown, preferably through a variable speed drive, also as schematically shown in the copending application. A sprocket 18 and gear 18a that meshes with a gear 19 on shaft 12 so that these two shafts rotate at the same speed and in opposite directions, thereby driving the confronting mold sections together and in synchronism, the arrangement being such that confronting mold elements of the two series are in registering pairs.

In FIG. 9 we have shown the two molds as having sections which are in this case a mirror image of each other. The upper molds 3 have margin portions 3a at each end there of extending from edge to edge in the direction of travel of the molds. Between these margin poitions there is a recessed face 3b, and adjacent the margins there are deep grooves 30 also extending in the direction of travel of the mold, that is from the front or entering end toward the rear or discharge end of the supporting structure. The margins 3a of all of the sections are in line and the deep grooves 3c are in line with the corresponding grooves of the other sections. The lower mold sections have similar marginal portions 4a at the ends thereof and positioned to contact the portions 3a of the upper series of mold elements when these mold elements are brought together in confronting faceto-face relation, :a recessed face 4b, and grooves 40 that are opposite grooves 30. In the reaches of the two endless molds that confront each other, the margin portions 3a and 4a are in continuous contact to form molten metal retaining side walls and the upper and lower molds define a space of l-beam section turned sideways. By forming a groove lengthwise, that is in the direction of mold travel or grooves crosswise with reference to the direction of mold travel in the recess face of one or both mold sections, a lengthwise rib along the length of casting may be formed in the web as shown in FIG, 9, or cross ribs may be formed across the casting transverse to its length or the direction of mold travel at intervals on the web.

For holdin the mold sections 3 and 4 in such contacting face-to-face confronting relation, there are side rails 20 (see FIG. 3) near the forward end of the apparatus having flanges 21 that overhang the top edges of the upper mold sections and bottom flanges 22 that extend under the bottom ends of the lower mold sections. Further along from the front end of the apparatus there are similar guides 23 with their vertical webs spaced from the ends of the mold sections to form water chambers 24 (see FIGS. 4 and 9) which are closed at their ends (see FIG. 6). Water is introduced into one of the water chambers 24 and removed from the other through pipe connections 26 and 27 while the mold sections have one or more water passages 28 therethrough extending from one end face to the other.

Molden metal is introduced into the space between the series of confronting upper and lower mold elements through a tun dish or reservoir 30 that has a discharge throat 31 projecting into the mold space at the casting or front end to discharge the molten metal Where the margins close together. Since the machine is inclined, the metal will fill the top and bottom grooves with adequate clearance for preventing the entrapment of air. The contacting margins of the mold sections 3a and 4a prevent the metal from flowing out at the sides. The driving gears, being at the front end of the machine, push the sections ahead tightly together so that the metal cannot escape between the molds. As the molds move along the met-a1 solidifies, and this is accelerated by the cooling water.

At the discharge end, the molds separate due to the opposite curvature of the guides, and these guides are so stepped at 33 so as to effect an initial vertical separation just before they engage the curve so that they first pull partly clear of the casting. As hereinafter described, means imay be provided for effecting positive movement of confronting mold elements in opposite directions normal to their direction of travel away from each other.

While the casting is still hot, it may, if desired, be passed through one or more sets of rolls to roll it and elongate it and shape it to final form, as described in our copending application. This is indicated in FIG. 1 by the successive roll stands R and R In FIG. 9 we have referred to the mold sections as being mirror images of the other. This is not necessarily true in all cases. For example, to make a channel section, one set of molds, for instance the bottom sections, are of substantially the shape above described in FIG. 9, while the top sections are a plane, being flat from one marginal edge to the other. This is shown in FIG. 10, where the top sections have a flat, preferably slightly recessed face 3d between the two marginal portions 3a.

To cast a section with openings through a web, as for example :a truss-like Lbeam section, the mold elements are quite similar to those shown in either of the preceding forms, but the face of one or both upper and lower molds, instead of being completely recessed as in the first form, or one completely recessed as in the second form, one or both have diagonal cross over or connecting grooves in their confronting faces extending from the deep grooves at one side to the deep grooves at the other. A plan view of adjacent lower mold elements so constructed is shown in FIG. 12 where the margin portions of the lower molds 4, as before, are designated 4a, the deep grooves 4c, and 4x are intersecting grooves to form an X-shaped web. FIG. 11 shows the upper mold similarly formed with margins 3a, deep grooves 40, and diagonal cross over or connecting grooves 3y. By making more deep grooves 40, a grating with diagonal cross bars may be cast. Also, it will be seen that various other forms of opening may be made in the web portion of a section by changing the contour of the grooves.

For making more conventional gratings and other structures having longitudinal bearing bars projecting above and below the tops of the cross bars, the mold sections 3 and 4 of both the upper and lower strands are formed alike, and similarly to the mold sections disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 428,501, filed Jan. 27, 1965. As mentioned previously, and as shown in FIGS. 3, 4- and 7, the mold elements 3 and 4 have parallel grooves or cavities 3 and 4f respectively extending in the direction of travel of the mold with the groves in each series =being aligned and the grooves of the upper mold elements registering with the corresponding parallel grooves of the mold elements of the lower series. The confronting adjacent mold block faces have complementary recesses 3g and 4g that are of less depth. With only two widely-spaced grooves 3 and 4 a ladder-like section may be cast, and with additional intervening similar grooves, a grating as above referred to is formed. Such a grating can be subsequently rolled to thicken the top and bottom edges, and is desinable for a bridge floor where the deeper bars run crosswise of traflic, and the cross bars are below the traffic surface. When such a grating is filled with concrete or other paving material, the wheels of a vehicle engage only the bearer bars. With such mold sections it is of particular importance to separate the mold sections by moving them vertically to clear the cross bars away from their plane of travel before they start to travel around the curve at the discharge end of their travel.

While we have shown various mold arrangements for making different sections, it will be understood that these are merely illustrative of various sections that may be formed having deep and shallow portions or parallel portions that are connected by cross portions of different sectional thickness. It will be seen that, in each case, the apparatus comprises two connected series of mold elements movable as a unit along a straight rigid support With their confronting faces, at least at the margins and in places where there is no cross section between grooves, in contact to confine the metal between the sections and in the grooves. Any thin fins or flash that may result may be easily removed by scarfing torches or sand blasting. The emerging product may be cut into desired lengths without waste as occurs when panels of fixed length are made. Mold elements may be of standard sizes so that different molds may be used in the same machine. Also, while the invention has been described in connection with metal, it may be used in casting plastics.

At the emerging or discharge end of the machine the confronting mold sections are in tight face-to-face contact, and in some cases, as with a grating, positive means may be necessary to at least partially force the confronting mold sections vertically away from each other. One way of accomplishing this is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. We have previously referred to the stepped arrangement of the guides at 33. This is more clearly shown in FIG. 14 where the side guide 23 is in elevation, and the emerging mold elements are in sections. The stepped-apart curved guides around which the molds travel are angle sections, designated 35. As the mold elements clear the guide 23, they are free to move apart and tend to do so by reason of their being pulled around a curve of shorter radius than there would be without the step 33 caused by the guides 35 for the upper and lower reaches being further apart than the flanges of the guides 23.

In FIG. 13 we have shown means independent of the travel of the mold elements for successively separating each pair of mold elements to substantially clear the cross connections of the casting in the initial stage of stripping the casting from the mold. We have shown in addition mold blocks or elements with chamfered edges at their confronting ends. At each side of the machine there are wedge elements 36 on the ends of levers 37, which lovers are pivoted at 38. Toggle links 39 connected with the lower ends of these levers and with a piston rod 40 operable in a fluid pressure cylinder transmit equal and opposite motion to the wedges 36, first forcing them toward each other to pry the upper and lower mold elements apart, and then, by reverse operation of the cylinder and piston, withdraw them. The operation of the piston and cylinder is synchronized with the movement of the mold units by any of many type-s of sensing devices or mechanically synchronized valves, such controls being well known and forming no part of this invention.

The machine as here disclosed may be regarded as a continuous casting machine in the sense that the mold elements are arranged in an endless moving series, and the casting is progressively formed in a plurality of mold elements rather than in one single element. However the casting may be of predetermined length instead of a continuous length. For example, it may be desirable to make a large number of units or panels of one size. Instead of cutting a so-called continuous casting into lengths, we may form successive castings of the desired length. This is illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16. In these views the mold elements are designed with parallel aligned grooves in the direction of travel of the mold elements as previously described and cross grooves in the adjacent side faces of the mold elements to form a simple grating. However, at intervals there may be one or more blank elements 3A and 4A in the upper and lower series, respectively. These will terminate the end of one panel. being cast and the beginning of another. Such blank or interrupting sections may be located at one or more locations in the endless series, but in this case both endless series must have the same number of mold elements so that the blank sections will always move into register with each other. Also,

cross bars may be separated further from each other by omitting the cross channels in alternate mold sections for example.

In the case of gratings and some other products, it may be desirable to embed abrasive in the edges of the bearing bars and cross bars. This may be done by introducing abrasive grains into the recesses of the lower mold elements in the top reach just before the mold sections move under the hot metal tun dish. In this case the grating is molded upside down. Also, if a step ladder is being cast, one surface of the treads may desirably have abrasive grains therein. This may be accomplished by spraying or otherwise applying to the tread or cross bar forming faces of the mold sections where they are separated on the return curve, an adhesive and abrasive grains. The adhesive holds the grains in place until the hot metal fills the mold, destroying the adhesive and leaving the grains embedded in the metal. This is illustrated in FIG. 17 where 50 designate pressure nozzles for directing adhesive and abrasive grains onto selected surfaces of the cross channel recesses in the mold sections, during the time the mold sections are divergently positioned in moving around the curved end guide. These nozzles may be intermittently actuated.

It is contemplated that various features and arrangements herein described in certain figures, insofar as they may be applicable, be combined with or substituted for arrangements shown in other figures, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. For example, utilizing the principle of FIGS. 11 and 12, a plate or channel may be formed with openings in the web and the arrangement shown in FIG. 13 may be used in any case where force is required to separate the mold sections. In all cases there is an upper series of mold elements moving in contacting relation to a series of lower mold elements. The mold elements of both series have marginal end portions at each end extending across the end in the direction of travel of the mold elements and which form molten metal retaining side walls while the mold elements are in such relation. These marginal end portions are at and define the parting plane of the upper and lower mold elements. In each case the molds of the lower series have at least two parallel cavities extending in the direction of travel of the molds, with the cavities of each of the elements of each series aligning with those of the adjacent elements to form continuous longitudinally-extending groove-like cavities along the entire length of the series of contacting molds. In each case the longitudinal cavities of the upper series are aligned with and complement the corresponding cavities of the lower series. Between the longitudinally-extending cavities of each mold element there are raised areas that are either flush with the parting plane of the mold as defined above, or are of less height than said marginal portions so that all portions of each mold element are within the aforesaid parting plane. This is important so that any flash between molten metal that congeals between the upper and lower mold elements will be in the parting plane or parallel with it. In these areas between the longitudinal cavities, some or all of the mold elements have cross-over cavities extending between the longitudinal ones and opening into the longitudinal ones so as to form in the completed casting structural components connecting the longitudinal portions of the casting formed in the longitudinally-extending cavities. These crossover portions in all cases are -so shaped as to enable the mold elements of the upper and lower series to separate by movement of the mold elements of each pair relatively to each other in a direction normal to their direction of travel. Various other modifications and changes may be made, according to the pattern, style, or shape of the product to be cast and the particular shapes here shown are illustrative of some embodiments of our invention.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for casting load-carrying structures having parallel longitudinal portions and cross-over portions connecting the longitudinal portions comprising:

(a) a supporting structure having rigid guide means with an entering end and a discharge end,

(b) a lower series of mold elements movable along and supported in a plane on said guide means with the mold elements in tightly abutting contact with one another (1) each of said mold elements of the lower series having marginal end portions on its upper face at each end and extending across the mold element parallel with the direction of travel thereof and in longitudinal alignment with similar marginal end portions of the mold elements of said lower series,

(2) each of said lower mold elements having at least two parallel cavities extending thereacross in its upper face parallel with the direction of travel of the mold elements and in alignment with the corresponding cavities of the other mold elements of the lower series,

() an upper series of mold elements, each of which is coextensive in overall size and shape with the lower series movable in the same direction as the lower series along said guide means and supported in a plane in tightly abutting relation with each other, the mold elements of the upper series being confined by the supporting means with their lower faces in confronting relation to the mold elements of the lower series, each mold element of the upper series having (1) marginal end portions on each end extending thereacross parallel with the direction of travel of the mold elements of the lower series and in contacting engagement with said marginal portions of the lower series forming therewith continuous molten metal-retaining sides along the length of the confronting series of mold elements and defining the plane of separation of the mold elements,

(2) each mold element of the upper series also having at least two cavities extending thereacross parallel with the direction of travel of the molds and registering with the longitudinallyextending cavities of the lower mold elements and complementing them, forming with said cavities in the lower mold elements at least two longitudinally-extending cavities that are continuous in the direction of travel of the respective mold elements,

(d) the mold elements of each series having confronting areas between the longitudinally-extending cavities, the confronting surfaces of which lie within the plane of separation of the upper and lower mold elements, some of said areas of at least one of the series of mold elements having cavities therein extending crosswise of the direction of travel of the molds and opening into the longitudinally-extending cavities to the other to produce in a casting formed in the series of molds spaced cross-over connections between the longitudinal portions of such casting,

(e) means for introducing molten metal into the cavities formed between the upper and lower series of molds at the entering end of the supporting structure,

(f) means for effecting movement of the series of molds along the guide means in unison and with the mold elements of the upper and lower series being in paired relationship to each other, and

(g) means effective independently of the travel of the series of molds arranged to initially thrust the mold elements of each pair of mold elements away from each other in a direction normal to their plane of separation to substantially clear the cross-connecting portions of the finished casting at the discharge end of the guide means.

2. A casting machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means comprise a channel positioned along each side of the series of confronting upper and lower elements, each of said channels having a lower flange bearing against the under side of the mold elements of the lower series and an upper flange overhanging and bearing against the top surfaces of the upper series, thereby serving to hold the mold elements of the two series in contacting relation with each other.

3. A casting machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means comprise a channel positioned along each side of the series of confronting upper and lower elements, each of said channels having a lower flange bearing against the underside of the mold elements of the lower series and an upper flange overhanging and bearing against the top surfaces of the upper series, thereby serving to hold the mold elements of the two series in contracting relation with each other, said channels also having webs connecting the flanges with the web portions spaced from the ends of the mold elements and forming spaces for the circulation of water, the mold elements having water-cooling passages therethrough, the ends of which open into the water-circulating spaces provided by said channels.

4. A casting machine as defined in claim 1 in which the cavities which extend crosswise of the direction of travel of the molds are provided in registering relation in the mold elements of both series, said crosswise-extending cavities being of less depth than the longitudinally extending cavities.

5. A casting machine as defined in claim 1 in which the cavities which extend crosswise of the direction of travel of the molds are provided in registering relation in the mold elements of both series, said crosswise-extending cavities being of less depth than the longitudinallyextending cavities, and are arranged in intersecting diagonal relationship.

6. A casting apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the mold elements of the lower series constitute a portion of an endless succession of such mold elements pivotally connected to define an elongated loop and the mold elements of the upper series are also arranged in an elongated loop with the individual mold elements pivotally connected, the pivotal -connections for each series'of loops comprising links arranged to permit movement of the several mold elements in a direction normal to their to their direction of travel, and to also pivot about an axis extending transversely to the direction of travel of the molds.

7. Apparatus for the casting of products having longitudinally-extending bars and cross-connecting portions, said apparatus comprising a supporting structure having an entering end and a discharge end:

(a) an upper continuous series of connected mold elements defining upper and lower reaches and end loops,

(b) a lower continuous series of connected mold elements defining upper and lower reaches and end loops, said lower series being below the upper one,

(c) means for supporting the lower reach of the upper series and the upper reach of the lower series in confronting contacting relation,

(d) the mold elements of each series being of generally similar overall shape and size and being elongated in a direction transverse to the length of the respective reaches,

(e) the mold elements of each series having flat front and rear faces that make sealing contact with the flat faces of the next-adjacent elements of the same series,

(f) means for moving both series of elements at the same speed with the confronting contacting elements moving in the same direction, said means being arranged to push the elements along the supporting means from the entering end toward the discharge end whereby said front and rear faces of the mold elements are in tight sealing contact with one an- 1 Q a grating-like casting having heavy bearer bar portions extending in the direction of travel of the molds and cross bars connecting the bearing bars,

(h) and means effective independently of the travel of the molds arranged to initially thrust the mold other.

(g) said mold elements of both series having margin portions at their ends extending thereacross from edge to edge in the direction of travel of the elements and aligned with the corresponding portions of adjacent mold elements of the same series and 10 with the margin portions of the confronting reaches of the mold elements being in contact, the confrontelements of the two series apart in succession as they approach the discharge end of the supporting means to substantially clear the metal that is cast into the cross-grooves of the finished casting.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ing surfaces of the elements b n the margin lBjurkhardt portions having compleme ary mold Cavity defining 15 1671360 5 1928 22 57 4 f e the mold elements of at least 0 1 Series 7 F at? er W 5 4 having a plurality of deep Parallel grow/6S therein i g63g Eavls 5; 4 extending in the direction Of ra l of the elements 1,841,297 1932 P avls 1 22 57 1 with the grooves of one element being in alignment 1841881 1/1932 et a 5 4 with those of adjacent elements to form Continuous 20 2357931 9/1944 31 22 57 4 metal-receiving channels when the elements are traveling along said reach in which they are in confronting contacting relation, the mold elements also defining between them a plurality of spaced across grooves intersecting the parallel grooves to produce 25 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

V. K. RISING, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CASTING LOAD-CARRYING STRUCTURES HAVING PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS AND CROSS-OVER PORTIONS CONNECTING THE LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS COMPRISING: (A) A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE HAVING RIGID GUIDE MEANS WITH AN ENTERING END AND A DISCHARGE END, (B) A LOWER SERIES OF MOLD ELEMENTS MOVABLE ALONG AND SUPPORTED IN A PLANE ON SAID GUIDE MEANS WITH THE MOLD ELEMENTS IN TIGHTLY ABUTTING CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER (1) EACH OF SAID MOLD ELEMENTS OF THE LOWER SERIES HAVING MARGINAL END PORTIONS ON ITS UPPER FACE AT EACH END AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE MOLD ELEMENT PARALLEL WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL THEREOF AND IN LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH SIMILAR MARGINAL END PORTIONS OF THE MOLD ELEMENTS OF SAID LOWER SERIES, (2) EACH OF SAID LOWER MOLD ELEMENTS HAVING AT LEAST TWO PARALLEL CAVITIES EXTENDING THEREACROSS IN ITS UPPER FACE PARALLEL WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE MOLD ELEMENTS AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CORRESPONDING CAVITIES OF THE OTHER MOLD ELEMENTS OF THE LOWER SERIES, (C) AN UPPER SERIES OF MOLD ELEMENTS, EACH OF WHICH IS COEXTENSIVE IN OVERALL SIZE AND SHAPE WITH THE LOWER SERIES MOVABLE IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE LOWER SERIES ALONG SAID GUIDE MEANS AND SUPPORTED IN A PLANE IN TIGHTLY ABUTTING RELATION WITH EACH OTHER, THE MOLD ELEMENTS OF THE UPPER SERIES BEING CONFINED BY THE SUPPORTING MEANS WITH THEIR LOWER FACES IN CONFRONTING RELATION TO THE MOLD ELEMENTS OF THE LOWER SERIES, EACH MOLD ELEMENT OF THE UPPER SERIES HAVING (1) MARGINAL END PORTIONS ON EACH END EXTENDING THEREACROSS PARALLEL WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE MOLD ELEMENTS OF THE LOWER SERIES AND IN CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE LOWER SERIES FORMING THEREWITH CONTINUOUS MOLTEN METAL-RETAINING SIDES ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE CONFRONTING SERIES OF MOLD ELEMENTS AND DEFINING THE PLANE OF SEPARATION OF THE MOLD ELEMENTS, (2) EACH MOLD ELEMENT OF THE UPPER SERIES ALSO HAVING AT LEAST TWO CAVITIES EXTENDING THEREACROSS PARALLEL WITH THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE MOLDS AND REGISTERING WITH THE LONGITUDINALLYEXTENDING CAVITIES OF THE LOWER MOLD ELEMENTS AND COMPLEMENTING THEM, FORMING WITH SAID CAVITIES IN THE LOWER MOLD ELEMENTS AT LEAST TWO LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING CAVITIES THAT ARE CONTINUOUS IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE RESPECTIVE MOLD ELEMENTS, (D) THE MOLD ELEMENTS OF EACH SERIES HAVING CONFRONTING AREAS BETWEEN THE LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING CAVITIES, THE CONFRONTING SURFACES OF WHICH LIE WITHIN THE PLANE OF SEPARATION OF THE UPPER AND LOWER MOLD ELEMENTS, SOME OF SAID AREAS OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE SERIES OF MOLD ELEMENTS HAVING CAVITIES THEREIN EXTENDING CROSSWISE OF THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE MOLDS AND OPENING INTO THE LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING CAVITIES TO THE OTHER TO PRODUCE IN A CASTING FORMED IN THE SERIES OF MOLDS SPACED CROSS-OVER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS OF SUCH CASTING, (E) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING MOLTEN METAL INTO THE CAVITIES FORMED BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER SERIES OF MOLDS AT THE ENTERING END OF THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, (F) MEANS FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT OF THE SERIES OF MOLDS ALONG THE GUIDE MEANS IN UNISON AND WITH THE MOLD ELEMENTS OF THE UPPER AND LOWER SERIES BEING IN PAIRED RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, AND (G) MEANS EFFECTIVE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE TRAVEL OF THE SERIES OF MOLDS ARRANGED TO INITIALLY THRUST THE MOLD ELEMENTS OF EACH PAIR OF MOLD ELEMENTS AWAY FROM EACH OTHER IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THEIR PLANE OF SEPARATION TO SUBSTANTIALLY CLEAR THE CROSS-CONNECTING PORTIONS OF THE FINISHED CASTING AT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE GUIDE MEANS. 